Leg Length Discrepancy

pbarker

Barefooters
Sep 19, 2010
523
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I keep hearing the argument that leg length discrepancy needs to be corrected. That people with this problem should not try barefoot running and need orthotics. I could point out three people that have told me this in the last week. Michael Sandler has a LLD. I do not, but I am very curious what other people’s experiences have been with LLD.



leg-length-discrepancy-1.jpg
 
nice pic there!Any

nice pic there!

Any statements about barefoot running and leg length discrepancy are likely to be uninformed by any research, as the subject has simply not been scientifically studied.

So those kind of statements instead come from first principles. Are they the same set of first principles that make it "clear" that running shoes are "necessary to prevent injury"? There is research relevant to that one, and there is absolutely no evidence currently that people running in shoes differ in injury rates from people going BF.

As for correcting LLD with orthotics, one hospital web site I went to said that discrepancies of less than 2cm may not merit treatment.
 
I think this is an

I think this is an interesting question. I have about a 1 inch or greater leg length discrepancy. It seems to have gotten worse as I've gotten older -- I find it particularly obvious when I wear a belt (I'm a man), as it highlights the difference.

I haven't looked in the scientific literature to see whether there's any link between LLD and running injury, but I suspect it might have played a role in my numerous injuries during my shod days.

I also think my LLD has made barefoot running more of a challenge than it would be otherwise. My right leg is longer than my left, and all of my hot spots, sensitive/raw/"bruised" spots, and embedded rocks and glass have occurred in my right foot. It's finally getting better now as I am really focusing on bending my knees. But for the past 9 months or so, I've wished I had "two left feet", because if both of my feet were like my left, I'd be running a lot longer, faster, and on rougher surfaces by now. I've tried to have my right foot imitate the left foot in terms of landing and lift off (to steal the secrets of the left foot), and had a little bit of improvement. But the real secret still seems to be to bend the knees.

Does any one else here have a leg length discrepancy have problems more often in one foot or the other? Which foot (on the shorter or longer leg) tends to have more trouble? Most of my problems with the right foot would seem to be due to more pushing off (despite all my efforts otherwise) and/or not relaxing. I wonder whether the foot on the longer leg is more prone to pushing off or is more difficult to relax (psychologically, because of an uneven gait or something).
 
I have had a leg length

I have had a leg length discrepancy for most of my life, left leg is shorter (than the average LLD). I have always had more issues on my left side (entire body from neck to foot), including with running -my left ankle in turn got "stuck" and my left knee always kind of bothered me. Turned out it was a stuck SI/hip joint causing my whole leg to "ride up" (even though they said it was a literal LLD). Since finding a technique for "unsticking it" I have not had any more major problems with running.
 
I have a 1/4" LLD (left

I have a 1/4" LLD (left shorter than right) as a consequence of a car wreck that happened when i was 19 (approx 32 years ago). It's never bothered me. I also lost about 20 degrees of rotation on the left ankle (cannot fully straighten it), incurred some nerve damage, and suffered a broken hip that may have caused spinal scoliosis & stenosis. I also have Morton's Toe!

After running (all BF or in VFFS - cannot do the running shoe thing) for a while, i have experienced weakness and pain in that left ankle (short leg) off & on. Cross training and stretching are ESSENTIAL for me. Even so, I favor that ankle & sometimes cannot go down stairs on it (going up is OK). Favoring that ankle for so long has - i think - caused a mild Achilles strain. Just 2 weeks ago, I started experiencing moderate Achilles pain the day after a particularly intense run, but only on that left foot. The right foot is pain-free. When i first experienced the Achilles pain, i thought it was a new injury. But after a couple days of rest / icing / rolling pin mashing of the calves, the familiar ankle pain & weakness began to shine thru the Achilles pain. Now the Achilles pain is very localized to just above the heel, in the calcaneus, right in the middle.

To sum up, I don't think my LLD (which is pretty mild!) is as great a nucleation point for injury as some of the other things that are 'wrong' with my body. What amount of pain is normal for a 51 year old body that's been through some stresses & strains? I don't know...
 
Apparently Zola Bud had lld.

Apparently Zola Bud had lld. She started wearing shoes and a lift to avoid stress fractures and hamstring injuries.
This was in Ken Bob's book.